Veganuary, the global pledge to try a vegan diet for 31 days, is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its launch as new research from YouGov shows that nine percent of Brits have taken the pledge at least once.
Some famous participants include recently knighted rock legend Brian May, TV presenter Jasmine Harman, wildlife presenter Chris Packham, actor Peter Egan, Dragon’s Den‘s Deborah Meaden and Eastenders‘ Kellie Bright.
A YouGov poll has revealed:
- Nearly three-quarters (71%) of GB adults have heard of Veganuary
- Nine percent of GB adults have participated in Veganuary, since its first pledge in January 2014. Based on the current GB population, Veganuary estimates this is approximately six million people
- Fifty-three percent of past participants have done Veganuary more than once, with 21% having done it four times or more – suggesting it is now a firm British tradition
- Fifty-two percent of past participants were still eating meat and/or fish when they took part for the first time, 31% were vegetarian and 12% were vegan
- In total, 85% of non-vegan past participants have reduced their consumption of animal products since doing Veganuary. After taking part in Veganuary, 23% of non-vegan participants became vegan, 43% reduced their animal product consumption by at least half (but not completely), and a further 20% reduced by between a quarter and a half.
- The majority of past participants cited animal welfare as a motivating factor for taking part (62%) followed by environmental reasons (54%), personal health (46%) and global health e.g. pandemics/antibiotic resistance (30%) (they were asked to choose all that applied)
- There has also been a marked increase in plant-based consumption amongst people who have not taken part in Veganuary, with 37% saying they eat more plant-based food now than 10 years ago
Forged on a kitchen table in York by a husband-and-wife team, Veganuary has made newspaper and TV headlines around the world – from front page of The Times to features in the Washington Post, New York Times, New Scientist and South China Morning Post as well as on CNN, Sky News and BBC Breakfast.
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Celebrities
Celebrities including Joaquin Phoenix, Joanna Lumley, Paul McCartney and Evanna Lynch have backed the campaign which now has official chapters in seven countries and has attracted participants from every country in the world except North Korea.
Jasmine Harman, who took part in the first-ever Veganuary in 2014, said: “I think I always knew Veganuary would blow up, and it would be huge but seeing just how big it got and how quickly has been just phenomenal.” She added: “I feel very proud and very privileged to have been with Veganuary from the start and to be one of their Ambassadors.”
Actor Evanna Lynch (seen top of page), who has been an Ambassador for the charity since 2017, said: “Veganuary has given veganism a positive brand makeover.” She added: “Every Veganuary we have amazing new options in all the mainstream chain-restaurants and it’s showing people that all these choices are right there – you don’t have to sacrifice anything.”
The launch of Gregg’s’ vegan sausage roll for Veganuary 2019 sent Piers Morgan into meltdown, in 2020 KFC and Burger King joined in with the first fast-food Veganuary launches and McDonald’s added its McPlant nationwide last Veganuary.
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Thousands of vegan products and menu options have been launched around the world during Veganuary to capitalise on the ever-increasing number of people taking on the pledge.
Matthew Glover, Co-founder and Chair of Veganuary, says: “When my wife Jane and I decided to launch a new year’s vegan pledge in 2014, we expected only 1,000 people to take part. More than 3,000 signed up and we were blown away. Now Veganuary is a bigger feature in the retail calendar than Christmas, reflecting the ever-increasing number of people choosing plant-based food. Two million official Veganuary participants in just eight years is a huge achievement, but the explosion in plant-based products that has accompanied it is truly revolutionising the future of food.”
Veganuary’s Head of Communications, Dr Toni Vernelli, says: “Having been vegan myself for more than 30 years, it’s amazing how the conversation around veganism has changed in recent years and I know Veganuary’s friendly, non-judgemental, just-give-it-a-go-for-a-month-and-see-what-you-think approach has played an instrumental role in this shift.”
She added: “To everyone who took their first step towards a vegan diet with us in January 2014 – Happy 10th Veganniversary! To everyone taking their first step with us today – welcome to a growing global movement taking positive action for a better world.”
Veganuary is free to join, and people can sign-up at veganuary.com to receive a Celebrity eCookbook, new One-Pot Meal Plan, the Official Veganuary Starter Kit and 31 daily emails packed with nutritional info, delicious recipes, more meal plans and helpful advice.
Try this vegan Caprese tofu spaghetti recipe from ZENB and Modern Food Stories. This is a dinner recipe that’s nutritionally well-balanced and packed with flavour, vegan protein, fibre and healthy fats. Balsamic, olive oil and basil infused fresh tomatoes are tossed through healthy ZENB spaghetti and topped with baked tofu and melted vegan cheese.
Serves: 2-3 people
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 226g ZENB Spaghetti (or similar alternative)
- 1 pack extra firm tofu, cut into 4 x 1cm thick slices (225g)
- 4 slices vegan cheese
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 tsp dried oregano
- 225g cherry tomatoes, halved/quartered
- 1/6 red onion, finely sliced
- 8g fresh basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 180 fan / 200C. Add sliced tofu to a baking tray lined with greaseproof. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, turning once till crisp.
- Add a slice of vegan cheese to each piece of tofu and bake for a further 3-5 minutes or until melted. Option to place under the grill if you prefer.
- Meanwhile, add ZENB Spaghetti to a pan of boiling water (option to add a pinch of salt) and cook for 7 – 8 minutes until al-dente. Drain and toss with a little olive oil.
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil, garlic, balsamic, salt, pepper and dried oregano to a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add half the dressing to the tomatoes and onion and stir to combine.
- Top tomato mix on pasta (or toss to combine for best flavour) and top with cheesy tofu, rest of the dressing fresh basil leaves & cracked black pepper to taste.
Optional changes and tips:
- Use good quality sweet cherry tomatoes and great olive oil.
- The brand of tofu you use will alter the cooking time so cook to your liking.
- Option to pan fry the tofu for 5 – 8 minutes per side in a little olive oil or avocado oil if you prefer to cut down the cooking time. Baking dries the tofu out more and firms it up so pick the method that suits you best.
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